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&gt;Question for anyone with experience growing buckwheat- when is the time to plant it, Spring or Fall?

Plant it anytime. Frost will kill it, but it survives drought really well. It's a short cycle (don't remember off the top of my head what) and so you can plant it and in a few weeks you have blooms. I like it, not because I can count on the bees using it, but if you stagger the planting of several patches you can disk it under when it goes to seed and you can have blossoms all year. That way, they may ignore it some of the time, but it fills in the gaps in the nectar flow.

Thanks, Michael. So I guess it's an annual rather than perennial? We just recently had our field disked, so I guess I could broadcast some seed and see if it produces anything for Fall. We won't get much for rain for a few weeks, but maybe it would be able to sprout in September and maybe bloom before frost, then reseed for next year.

Interesting subject.
The plant that I have not seen mentioned is the Basswood tree. I am new at this bee thing but when the basswood were in bloom my girls made a super of honey per week, per hive. Of course that is only 2 weeks. The trees in the shade bloom a little later then the ones in the sun.
I have been collecting sweetclover seed, from ditch plants, and am going to plant this fall in an area I burnt the grass off of. It is very persistent in this area and blooms for a long time. Esp[ecially if both yellow and white are present. I just have very little right close to my bees.

trying late season buckwheat. we had some unusual rain in August (did't everyone) and have more ground moisture going into fall. trying to get a stand of buckwheat early and keep adding strips every couple of weeks. I understand bloom is 12-15 days after emergence. Is this true?

Will be frost seeding hairy vetch this fall. Last year's red clover did well on adding nitrogen but the bees didn't work it at all.

I don't have the facts in front of me, but that sounds right. They also bloom for quite a while. I think when there are more reliable sources of nectar (that start earlier in the day?) they will ignore it, but they will really work it if there isn't much else.

You can plant buckwheat anytime from last frost up to about 45 days before 1st frost. It begins blooming about 3-4 weeks after planting. It likes warm/hot weather and does well with little rain. Bees love it and it's probably cheaper that feeding sugar syrup. Bees don't work red clover, but they really like crimson clover. Crimson is good to plant in the fall (just before 1st frost). It will be blooming the following April. Btw, crimson makes a great ground cover and green manure. There is an annual white sweet clover (think its also called hubam) that blooms during the summer. Plant in spring after last frost for June/July blooming. I've read (but it may be a myth) that it produces up to 500lbs of honey per acre.

&gt;There is an annual white sweet clover (think its also called hubam) that blooms during the summer. Plant in spring after last frost for June/July blooming. I've read (but it may be a myth) that it produces up to 500lbs of honey per acre.

Contrary to what others told me, it is true that it will bloom the first year if planted in the spring. To my suprise it bloomed late June until mid August. I expect it to be a better stand and a better bloom next year. Still it was four foot tall, thin, but gave the girls a lot to work with.

I hope the myth is true also. I have three acres planted in Huban, three in Yellow, and four in Alfalfa.

Now if I can get through the winter with 20 colonies...

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Bullseye Bill
Smack dab in the middle of the country.

Wfarler- I planted some buckwheat last week and it is coming up pretty well. If it flowers within a couple or three weeks, then it should be flowering very soon, but to be honest, it doesn't look to me like it's anywhere near the flowering stage. With all this rain, though, I'm hoping for a good flowering season before it gets too cool. Where did you buy your seed? I got a 50 pound bag at Marshall Grain in Fort Worth. Couldn't find it here locally.

I was at a local feed &seed store today & they had some seed they called Giant white clover,
they also said they planted it for hay,
Has anyone ever heard of this or used any for the bee's? thank's&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;MARK

&gt;I was at a local feed &seed store today & they had some seed they called Giant white clover,
they also said they planted it for hay,
Has anyone ever heard of this or used any for the bee's? thank's&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;MARK

I have heard of it, haven't tried it. After reading the links posted a page or two back I was sold on the Hubam. In those links I found grafs that showed the potential for honey crops between the various types of clover.

I wanted to keep the flow going as long as possible, that is why I planted the yellow for an earlier flow and the Hubam for a later flow. The Alfalfa for a filler inbetween.

My concern is now I have been told that I need to be careful when to cut the clover for feed hay. That it will cause abortions in livestock if not cut and baled at the right time.

Anyone know of this?

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Bullseye Bill
Smack dab in the middle of the country.

&gt;My concern is now I have been told that I need to be careful when to cut the clover for feed hay. That it will cause abortions in livestock if not cut and baled at the right time. Anyone know of this?

I had not heard that of clover, but of fescue grass because of the endophytes. Basically in the grass it is a fungus that lives in the intersticial spaces that causes abortions. It's also the same fungus that gets on grain (ergot) and causes the same problems. I'm wondering if, in a humid climate, it gets on the clover. My guess is that Kansas is too dry for that on clover.

Bill, I wonder if the clover you are referring to is one of the Berseem clovers? There is a variety that is called "Big Bee" that I have read about. Berseem is a good clover for heavy soils in bottomland areas. It's not a great reseeder, so is normally used as an annual, and is a cool weather plant, but doesn't tolerate sustained freezing spells below 22 degrees. Bees reportedly love it, so I'm going to give it a try this year.
The only thing I have heard about cutting for hay, is that grasses (sudan, johnsongrass, etc) shouldn't be cut or fed to livestock right after a freeze or in a heat stress state such as heat with drought. Don't know about clover, though.

&gt;Bill, I wonder if the clover you are referring to is one of the Berseem clovers? There is a variety that is called "Big Bee" that I have read about. Berseem is a good clover for heavy soils in bottomland areas. It's not a great reseeder, so is normally used as an annual, and is a cool weather plant, but doesn't tolerate sustained freezing spells below 22 degrees.

Doesn't sound like that would work in Kansas, gets a little chilly here in January...

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Bullseye Bill
Smack dab in the middle of the country.

&gt;&gt;My concern is now I have been told that I need to be careful when to cut the clover for feed hay. That it will cause abortions in livestock if not cut and baled at the right time. Anyone know of this?

Yes, your right , but only when the sweet clover gets rained on and is a bit moldy. It is not worth the bother then. you have to be very carefull feeding at times becasue it will thin your livestocks blood, It must be rationed out with other feed to prevent this from happening...